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Food review: Ramen worth raving about at Shobu

Thu 30 Jul 2026

While ramen might not be the most obvious choice for summertime, living in Nottingham means out of season weather is practically guaranteed. Shobu, a little Japanese restaurant on Friar Lane, is the perfect antidote to a dreary day....

Left Magpie: Notts County season review 2026

Mon 27 Jul 2026

As the season comes to a close our Notts County FC columnist gives a run down of the team’s successful 2025-26 season, whilst also trying to cram in as many literature and poetry references as possible…

Exhibition review: Physical Culture and And The Soul is for the Birds at Nottingham Contemporary

Thu 23 Jul 2026

Two very different exhibitions are currently displayed at the Nottingham Contemporary. In one, classical sculptures intersect with modern fitness culture. In the other, a Brazilian artist creates an imagined folklore…

Big City Reads - Young Adult Book Reviews

Mon 20 Jul 2026

The Nottingham City of Literature free book giveaway campaign (29 June -12 August) features five compelling Young Adult titles, selected by young people, for young people…

Exhibition review: Drawn Through Time at Lakeside Arts

Sat 11 Jul 2026

Nottingham's cultural landscape has quietly become one of the most exciting in the Midlands, with Lakeside Arts consistently bringing ambitious exhibitions to the city that challenge how audiences engage with contemporary art. Its latest exhibition, Drawn Through Time, is no exception. Housed within the Djanogly Gallery at the University of Nottingham, the exhibition takes what many might consider the simplest of artistic practices – drawing – and transforms it into something far richer: a way of navigating history, memory and imagination.

LeftLion Magazine Issue #197 July 2026

Fri 03 Jul 2026

Our July issue features Notts Pride 2026, NG83: When We Were B Boys, the drag queens of Nottingham, Sidedoor Social, the Future Sound of Nottingham 2026 winners, Write Queer, and loads more...

Gig review: Midrift, Glare and Glixen at The Bodega

Sun 28 Jun 2026

The Bodega may not sound like the best place to be on a sweltering hot June evening, but when there’s cold drinks, air con and a night ahead of you that’s full of shoegaze magic, there’s nowhere much better. There are three bands on the bill, but each band is alternating as headliner each night on the tour. This is both unusual and exciting; and maybe something more bands should take note of...

Review: Hot Pot at Lakeside Arts

Sat 27 Jun 2026

This new play, by Nottingham's Hongwei Bao, explores East Asian LGBTQ+ narratives as four friends gather round the dinner table for a night of memories and revelations...

LeftLion's Latest Listens #47: Notts music we're currently spinning

Fri 26 Jun 2026

In this edition of LeftLion's Latest Listens for 2026, our music team reviews new releases from Drinking With Lucy, EMiDORA, Saffron Gray and Isaac Neilson...

Theatre Review: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold at Theatre Royal

Thu 25 Jun 2026

A new play, based on a classic novel by British author John le Carré, is showing at Nottingham's Theatre Royal starring TV actor Ralf Little as a weary 1960s MI5 agent...

Gig review: All Them Witches and Steak at The Palais

Tue 23 Jun 2026

A intoxicating night of psychedelic desert rock came to The Palais on Thursday as Nashville's All Them Witches came to Notts, with support from Steak...

Gig review: Feel the Nusic, Future Sound of Nottingham 2026

Tue 23 Jun 2026

With two coveted spots on the Splendour Festival main stage up for grabs, this year's Future Sound of Nottingham competition, organised by Feel the Nusic, was once again hotly contested. LeftLion was there to revel in all the music, and to see the winners crowned...

Theatre Review: Smoke at Nottingham Playhouse

SMOKE is a new play from acclaimed queer theatre-maker Alexis Gregory whose work has appeared in the West End and internationally. Award-winning filmmaker Campbell X directs...

LeftLion at Download 2026

Sun 21 Jun 2026

LeftLion's Kieran Lister spills the tea on his first time experience at the legendary Download Festival, which last weekend - despite the crowds - once again turned Donington Park into a place of mass catharsis, self-expression and freedom...

Gig review: India Arkin, Dring and Emily Ashberry at The Grove

Sat 20 Jun 2026

On the same evening that England were triumphant in their opening World Cup game against Croatia, tucked away in The Grove a magical evening of live music was taking place. Headlined by immensely talented, Bristol-based singer-songwriter India Arkin, with support from local artists Dring and Emily Ashberry, it marked the first Nottingham gig from promoter Music Observer, also known as LeftLion’s own Music Co-Editor, Phil Taylor. Here’s what went down…

Play Review: Television Workshop's I Had A Wheelbarrow at The Nest

Wed 17 Jun 2026

The Nottingham Television Workshop, famed for nurturing many local actors, is launching a play about Notts County FC and fans. You can't get more local than that...

Book reviews: Nottingham City of Literature's Big City Reads giveaway 2026

Wed 17 Jun 2026

Big City Reads is a free book giveaway campaign run by Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature to encourage reading for pleasure among young people in Notts. Returning for its fourth year, they’ll be giving away 2250 books this summer. Here, members of Nottingham City of Literature’s Youth Selection Panel have reviewed some of their favourites from the shortlist.

Plays, classic films, and gigs in association with LeftLion: Here's what's on in Nottingham this week, 15 - 21 June

Sun 14 Jun 2026

There's a lot to do this week in Nottingham, with a classic film shown in 35mm at the Savoy and local institution the Television Workshop showcasing a play about Notts County FC, among other options. Here's a few things we think are worth doing.

Gig review: Finn Forster at The Bodega

Thu 11 Jun 2026

Bryan Johnson, Sting, Neil Tennant, Little Mix, Cheryl, Sam Fender… the North-East is truly the musical gift that keeps on giving. It often leaves us asking, “Can there be any more phenomenal acts ready to join the hall of fame?” The answer is yes, and his name is Finn Forster. For anyone who missed out on his show at The Bodega, here’s why you need to grab tickets when he inevitably returns to Nottingham...

Gig review: Pigeon Pit and Cheap Dirty Horse at The Carousel

Wed 10 Jun 2026

Britain and America’s ‘Special Relationship’ is currently strained on a geopolitical level, but in the folk-punk sphere, things have never been stronger. Washington’s Pigeon Pit and Nottingham’s own Cheap Dirty Horse have united for a joint-headline tour across the UK this month, and their evening at the Carousel was everything you would expect from the two bands: loud, bold, unapologetically pro-LGBT+, and above all, a lot of fun...